Emptie vs Clever Cleaner
Updated 25 October 2026 · By Dimitar Zurnov, who makes Emptie. Facts about Clever Cleaner are from its App Store listing; we haven’t tested it.
Clever Cleaner is a storage cleaner that does many things, video compression among them, on a subscription. Emptie only does video: it compresses the videos in your library on your iPhone and replaces the originals, keeping their dates, places, favorites and albums, for free. Pick Clever Cleaner for an all-in-one tool; pick Emptie if video is what fills your phone.
At a glance
| Emptie | Clever Cleaner | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A video compressor that replaces originals in your Photos library | Storage cleaner: Finds similar photos, screenshots and large files, and handles video by deleting or compressing large files. |
| Price | Free. Optional $2.99 one-time Founding Supporter purchase | Free with daily limits. Listed at $6.99 a week (with trial) or $39.99 lifetime. |
| A year of use | $0 | $39.99 once (lifetime), or $363 a year if kept on the weekly plan |
| App Store privacy label | Data Not Collected (planned) | Data Used to Track You · Data Linked to You · Data Not Linked to You |
| Replaces the original for you | Yes, after a side-by-side review and one iOS confirmation | Not stated in the listing |
| Keeps date, location, favorites and albums | Yes, and checks each copy before deleting an original | Not stated in the listing |
| Sorted by space you would free | Yes | Not stated in the listing |
| Runs with the phone locked | Yes, with progress in the Dynamic Island | Not stated in the listing |
| Requires | iOS 26 or later (iPhone 11 and newer) | iOS 16.0 or later |
| US ratings | Not released yet | 4.78 from 84,122 ratings |
“Not stated in the listing” means we didn’t find it in the App Store description, not that the app can’t do it.
What Clever Cleaner does well
- Highly rated (4.78 on more than 84,000 US ratings)
- Offers a lifetime purchase, not only a subscription
- Markets no mandatory subscription
Best for: People who mainly want to clear similar photos and screenshots.
Where Emptie is different
- Emptie is free; an optional one-time $2.99 purchase supports the founder
- Emptie keeps dates, places, favorites, hidden status and albums on the compressed copy
- Emptie’s planned privacy label is “Data Not Collected”
- Emptie is built only around video: savings estimates, filters for 4K and 60 fps, and a side-by-side review
What it costs over time
Clever Cleaner: Free with daily limits. Listed at $6.99 a week (with trial) or $39.99 lifetime. Kept for a year: $39.99 once (lifetime), or $363 a year if kept on the weekly plan.
Emptie is free. If it helps you, an optional one-time $2.99 Founding Supporter purchase supports the founder. Compressing a library is mostly a one-time job, so we don’t think it should cost you every week.
What happens to your original videos
This is where video apps differ most. Many save a smaller copy as a new item and leave you to find and delete the original yourself. Unless the app carries the details over, the copy can show up under today’s date and outside the albums the original was in.
Emptie keeps every original untouched until its compressed copy is saved to your library and checked: it plays, it’s the same length, and its date (with time zone), location, Favorite and Hidden status and albums arrived. You review each pair side by side, and one iOS confirmation replaces the batch. The originals stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Why the space comes back after you empty it.
Privacy
Clever Cleaner’s App Store privacy label lists Data Used to Track You · Data Linked to You · Data Not Linked to You. Emptie’s will say Data Not Collected: no account, no upload, no ads and no analytics, and the app makes no network calls.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Clever Cleaner: it’s best for people who mainly want to clear similar photos and screenshots.
- Choose Emptie: if videos are what fill your iPhone, you want them smaller without losing their dates and albums, and you’d rather not pay a subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Is Emptie a Clever Cleaner alternative?
For video, yes. Emptie only handles video: it compresses the videos in your library and replaces the originals, keeping their details. If you also want duplicate photos or contacts sorted, Clever Cleaner covers more ground.
How much does Clever Cleaner cost compared with Emptie?
Free with daily limits. Listed at $6.99 a week (with trial) or $39.99 lifetime. Emptie is free, with no subscription; an optional one-time $2.99 purchase supports the founder. Prices are from the US App Store listing as of 25 October 2026.
Does Clever Cleaner collect data?
Its App Store privacy label lists: Data Used to Track You · Data Linked to You · Data Not Linked to You. Emptie’s planned label is “Data Not Collected”: it has no account, no analytics and makes no network calls.
How we compared
We read Clever Cleaner: AI CleanUp App’s US App Store listing, in-app purchase list and privacy label on 25 October 2026. It was one of the 888 storage and video-compression apps we reviewed on 23 October 2026. We didn’t install or test it. Prices change, so check the listing before you buy. If something here is wrong, email [email protected] and we’ll fix it.